"I remember when I was coming out and Schiano talked to us
about being the first and starting history. That is still at stake," said Jason
McCourty, a Titans cornerback. "There's a bunch of schools – Alabama, LSU,
Florida – who have done it all. It's great to be a part of that. It's no knock
on those schools. But to me, there's something very cool to it and you can take
a lot of pride in being a part of the first class to win the first Big Ten
title."

It's a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg dynamic, as top recruits make
it easier to win, but top recruits are reluctant to pick a school without an
established track record of winning.

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood has emphasized that his recruiting
strategy is determined by getting the right players and not necessarily the
ones with the most stars from recruiting websites. With that approach, it's
vital for Flood to establish a connection with recruits.

Flood's recruiting results have been uneven in his first two
years as head coach, but Devin McCourty believes prospects should welcome the
opportunity to play for Flood.

"You get an opportunity to be in a program where you can go
talk to a coach about anything in life," said Devin, a Patriots safety.
"He's a very open guy where he can laugh, he can joke with you, he can be
strict. I think just on a personal level it's a great fit. But like I always
say, Rutgers has to be a fit for you. I don't know if every guy can go there
and work hard and be willing to put in that work and sacrifice. I think it has
to be a good fit. I think for guys that are young and hardworking and want to
be the first guys to do something under a great coach that might not have a
huge name, but you can be the first just like he'll be, it would be a perfect
fit for you."

Flood had a successful first season when he inherited a
veteran group in 2012. The experienced players seemed to connect with his
coaching style, especially after playing for Schiano, who had a dictatorial
reputation.

"Flood is a players' coach," said Steve Beauharnais, a
Patriots linebacker. "It was really fun playing for Flood. But Flood is just as
tough as Coach Schiano as far as when it's time to go to work. When I was
there, to this day, he probably had the hardest training camp I've ever been
through. But at the end of the day, Coach Flood is the man."

It remains to be seen if that reputation will trickle down
to recruits. Rutgers hasn't landed any of the top 17 recruits in New Jersey's class of 2015 according to Rivals.com's rankings, and has just three in the top 35.

Those in-state results have caused concern, but players who have been
through the process aren't alarmed.

"When we were coming out, the same highly recruited stars in
Jersey were doing the same thing and it still didn't change the path of the
program," Devin McCourty said. "I think Coach Flood and the program have to
keep the same mentality that you fit or you don't. You'll lose some guys that
are supposed to be star recruits, but from my college experience, that doesn't
always tell a lot. I think the program has had some star recruits that haven't
panned out the way you thought and there's been other guys that have left and
haven't done much either. You have to have the right fit for the team and for
the program."